Page 27 of Owning His Mate

My heart squeezes and the ice around it thaws a little more. “Don’t make a promise you don’t intend to keep. Too many people have let me down over the years, Kye.”

“Your pack? Or family?” he surmises correctly.

“Both.” I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “No one really cares about blood ties when they find out you’re a monster.”

He grabs my face. “You’re not a monster. Don’t fucking say that.”

“I’m not,” I agree, “but other wolves and witches feel differently about me, and that’s why I wanted to be here today. I have to do something, be the thing that drives change. I’m tired of people trying to kill me or use me.”

I walk ahead of him, and after a moment he follows. I can feel his pensive state through our bond, and I’m sure it mirrors my own. Life really is unjust, and I’m not sure if we can make things better, but this is the path we were given. For better or worse, we have to walk it.

Maybe having a mate won’t be so bad after all. I’ve been on my own for so long, afraid to connect to anyone, and the last person I did connect to turned out to be a deceitful bitch. Clearly, I’m not the best judge of character.

I barely take two steps before Kye’s arm bands around my chest, tugging me against him. I let out a surprised cry, which he subdues with a hand over my mouth.

Keep quiet,little mate.

My instinct isto fight him, but then he pulls me back behind a nearby vehicle as the first pops of gunfire fill the air.

Chapter 7

Kye

Iwrap my body around Apryle, holding her tight against my chest as bullets ping off the metalwork of the car we are hiding behind.

Apryle clings to me, making herself small as the firing continues. The only thought I have in this moment is to keep her safe. I don’t know how many hunters are here, and the fact I cannot scent them puts me on edge.

Is it a spell, or are these soldiers not wolves?

Before, I wouldn’t care if I lived or died. I lost everything, which made it all meaningless.

Now that has changed.

The death of a mate can unravel the mind of the survivor. I owe it to her to stay breathing, even if she does not feel the same about me.

Lifting my head slightly, I glance around the street, trying to find somewhere safer for us to hide. We are sitting ducks here.

“Can you use your magic to get us out of here?”

In the time I’ve been around hybrids, I have learned that everybody’s power is different. I hope Apryle has something useful in her arsenal.

Of course, she misunderstands what I mean and gets tetchy with me.

“Do you think I can just snap my fingers and we’ll be transported to the other side of town?” Her words drip with sarcasm, and it would piss me off if it came from anyone else. Instead, my lips kick up at the corners, something that doesn’t happen very often—if ever—these days. “This isn’t a movie, Kye. I can’t just teleport us away from danger.”

“You done?” I drawl the words, which earns me a scowl.

“I’m not even close to being done,” she fires back, her sassy tone making my cock strain in my pants. She must feel it against her, considering how tightly I have her pressed against my body. “Seriously? We are about to die and all you can think about is your…little wolf?”

I’m about to tell her there’s nothinglittleabout mywolfwhen a bullet shatters the window above our heads. Instinctively, I pull her against me, shielding her body as much as I can while glass rains down. Small shards nick any skin that is exposed, leaving little trails of pain that I ignore as I try to protect my mate. My wolf roars in my head and urges me to give him control.

Not yet. I need to get her to safety first.

“We need to move—now,” I hiss as another bullet pings close to us. “If your magic can help, now is the time.”

When she lifts her head, she is pale, though determined. “Get ready to run.”

The smell of burning fills my nose as she closes her eyes, mumbling under her breath before she stands and unleashes her magic.

---